Category Archives: Angeles National Forest

Post navigation

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST >> A man was found dead inside his SUV following solo-vehicle crash along a winding mountain road in the Angeles National Forest just south of Mount Baldy, authorities said Saturday.
Ryan David Hines, 27, of Mount Baldy died in the crash, Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner Lt. Larry Smith said. CHP records listed Hines a resident of Fountain Hills, Arizona.
The wreckage was discovered Friday, though it was not clear what time, or even what day, the crash took place, Officer T. Brazier of the California Highway Patrol said in a written statement.
Paramedics pronounced the driver dead at 3:10 p.m., shortly after the crash scene was discovered, Smith said.
Hines was driving a 1988 Ford Bronco south on Mount Baldy Road near mile marker 2.16, just south of Glendora Ridge Road, at an unknown speed prior to the crash, according to Brazier.
“For reasons unknown, the driver allowed the vehicle to veer to the east and collide with a dirt and rock raised berm,” the officer said. “The vehicle became airborne and subsequently collided with the downhill embankment.”
The SUV came to a rest upside down on an adjacent access road, Brazier said.
The crash remains under investigation by the CHP’s Baldwin Park-area office. Anyone with information can reach the office during normal business hours at 626-338-1164.

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST >> Coroner’s investigators have identified the remains of a Los Angeles man found with possible stab wounds deep in the Angeles National Forest nearly four months ago, but the circumstances of his death remain a mystery.
The body of German De Jesus Ochoa Berrios, 20, was first discovered by hikers about 12:30 p.m. on April 30 in some bushes near mile marker 21.08 of Angeles Forest Highway, near Big Tujunga Canyon Road north of La Canada Flintridge, Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
He remained unidentified in the months following the discovery to do the advanced stage of decomposition in which the remains were found, officials said. The man was initially believed to be of Asian descent, though he was ultimately found to be Latino.
The hikers noticed a bad odor, which led them to find the remains, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Darrin Walker said at the time. They weren’t sure if the remains were human or animal, but notified the authorities.
Their suspicions proved correct, as investigators soon determined the remains belonged to a man.
It appeared the man may have suffered stab wounds to his chest, according to sheriff’s and coroner’s officials.
But his official cause of death remained under investigation as coroner’s investigators awaited the results of forensic tests, Winter said. It was not clear how long the body had been there before it was found.
No further details regarding the circumstances of the death have been released. Handling detectives could not be reached for comment Friday.
Anyone with information can reach the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

SIERRA MADRE >> Officials discovered a body Saturday while searching for a Sierra Madre man who vanished while out for a walk nearly a week ago, though it was yet to be determined whether the remains were that of the missing man, authorities said.
Carl Foote, 58, was last seen by his wife about 10:30 a.m. on Sunday walking in the area of Highland and Merrill avenues, Sierra Madre police said in a written statement. He hasn’t been seen or heard from since, and failed to report to work on Monday morning.
Foote’s personal items, including his cellphone, wallet, bicycles and vehicles, were all left behind at his home in Sierra Madre, police said.
Police searched the city, aided by local churches and community groups, and enlisted help from search and rescue teams from throughout Los Angeles County to scour the forest north of Sierra Madre, officials said. The wilderness search continued Saturday.
“Mr. Foote is a lifelong resident of Sierra Madre and is an avid walker, hiker and cyclist, and is extremely familiar with the trails in Sierra Madre and the surrounding vicinity,” according to the police statement. “It is unknown if Mr. Foote went hiking on the local trails.”
More than 40 searchers, assisted by dogs, continued the operation Saturday afternoon when they discovered a body in the forest area north of Sierra Madre, officials said.
They discovered a man’s body about 4 p.m. near Mt. Wilson Trail, in the wilderness north of Sierra Madre, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Frank Ruiz said.
The identity of the body was yet to determined, however, it matched the physical description and clothing of Foote, police said.
Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner’s officials will conduct an autopsy.
There were no initial signs of foul play involved in Foote’s disappearance, authorities said.
Foote is described as very tall and thin, standing 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighting about 200 pounds.
He was believed to be wearing a white T-shirt, khaki shorts, and tennis shoes with white socks.
Anyone with information can reach Sierra Madre police at 626-355-1414.

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST >> Firefighters are working to contain 25-acre brush fire burning near the San Gabriel Canyon Off-Highway Vehicle Area in the forest north of the San Gabriel Valley, authorities said.
The fire was first reported at 4:21 p.m. along San Gabriel Canyon Road, near the north end of the San Gabriel Reservoir, Angeles National Forest spokesman Andrew Mitchell said.
Officials evacuated the nearby Burro Canyon Shooting Range, 22100 East Fork Road, he said.
Firefighters were making good progress early on, with good hose lines being laid down an numerous water-dropping aircraft quickly brought to the scene, according to Mitchell.
“They’re catching it quickly,” he said.
The fire was burning through fuels described as grass and brush.
The fire’s rate of spread had been completely stopped by 820 p.m., officials said.
Officials initially reported the fire had grown to 30 acres in size, but later estimated put it closer to 25 acres, USFS officials announced via Twitter.
Aircraft were
Calfire firefighters were assisting their U.S. Forest Service counterparts in fighting the fire.
The cause of the wildfire, which officials called the Rincon fire, was yet to be determined.
Several other small fires were sparked in the forest by lightning strikes Thursday, but it was not yet clear if lightning was to blame for the Rincon fire, Mitchell said.
The fire danger level in the Angeles National Forest was designated “very high” on Thursday.

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST >> Rescuers flew two motorcyclist to a hospital on Sunday after they collided with deer in two separate incidents along Angeles Crest Highway in the Angeles National Forest, officials said.
The collision were reported about 7:50 a.m. near mile marker 48, and at 12:38 p.m. at mile marker 44.37, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Michelle Bond. Both crash scenes are just north of Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road.
Both men were flown to hospitals by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Air Rescue 5, officials said. Updated on their conditions were not available.
The two similar incidents within five hours on the same stretch of forest road prompted the sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau to urge caution via Twitter.
“Slow down & watch for wildlife on Angeles Crest,” read the social media post. “#LASD Air Rescue 5 airlifting rider from motorcycle vs deer crash for the 2nd time today.”
A nonstop series of motorcycle crashes Along Angeles Crest Highway has kept rescuers busy this weekend.
Officials handled at least five injury motorcycle crashes along the road on Saturday, including one that left a 26-year-old Palmdale man dead.

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST >> A motorcyclist died following a crash along Angeles Crest Highway deep in the Angeles National Forest on Saturday morning, authorities said.
The solo-vehicle crash was first reported about 7:45 a.m. along Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road, near Angeles Crest Highway, in the forest north of the San Gabriel Valley, California Highway Patrol Officer Peter Nicholson said.
Geyson Armando Rivera Moreno, 25, of Palmdale died in the crash, Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner Investigator Kristy McCracken said.
He was riding a 2007 Suzuki GSX-R westbound at an unknown speed when, “for unknown reasons,” the cycle crossed over the double-yellow line into opposing traffic lanes, CHP Officer A. Lowery said in a written statement.
“The motorcycle overturned, and (Rivera Moreno) was subsequently ejected,” Lowery said. “(He) collided with the guardrail immediately south of Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road.”
Alcohol or drugs were not initially suspected as factors in the crash, he said. The investigation was ongoing.
The crash was one of at least five injury motorcycle accidents reported along Angeles Crest Highway on Saturday, officials said.
Any witnesses, or anyone with information, can reach the CHP’s Altadena-area office during normal business hours at 626-296-8100.

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST >> Authorities have identified a 46-year-old Glendora man who died in a motorcycle crash in the Angeles National Forest north of Azusa.
Jonathan Wayde Shoemaker died at a hospital a little more than two hours after the collision, which took place about 6:18 a.m. on Sunday near mile marker 27.19 of San Gabriel Canyon Road, north of the Morris Reservoir.
He was riding a 2005 Ducati 999 south along the mountain road when a northbound 2000 Honda Civic made an abrupt left turn in front of him while turning into an offroad parking lot, California Highway Patrol Officer C, Strautman said in a written statement.
Paramedics took Shoemaker to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries about 8:30 a.m., Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
The driver of the Honda, a 40-year-old Montebello man, suffered no injuries, Strautman said. DUI was not suspected to be a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation by the CHP’s Baldwin Park office.

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST >> A Glendora man died in a crash early Sunday after a car made an abrupt left turn in front of his motorcycle along San Gabriel Canyon Road in the forest north of Azusa, officials said.
Coroner’s officials did not release the identity of the motorcyclist on Sunday pending positive identification and notification of his family. He was described by California Highway Patrol officials as 46 years old.
The crash was first reported about 6:15 a.m. near mile marker 27.19 of the winding mountain road, near the Morris Reservoir, California Highway Patrol Officer C. Strautman said in a written statement.
The motorcyclist was heading north on a 2005 Ducati 999 when a southbound 2000 Honda Civic made “an unsafe left turn into an offroad parking lot, in the direct path of the Ducati 999,” Strautman said. “The front of the Ducati 999 collided into the right side of the Honda Civic.
Paramedics took the injured rider to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he succumbed to his injuries, officials said.
The driver of the Honda, a 40-year-old Montebello man, was unhurt, Strautman added.
No arrests were made as the investigation continued, Strautman said. Drugs or alcohol were not suspected to have played a role in the deadly crash.
Any witnesses are urged to contact the CHP’s Baldwin Park-area office at 626-338-1164.

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST >> A man died after his vehicle plummeted about 700 feet over the side of Angeles Crest Highway in the forest just north of La Canada Flintridge, authorities said.
The crash was first reported by witnesses just before 9 p.m. between mile markers 25 and 27 of Angeles Crest Highway, Los Angeles County sheriff’s and Montrose Search and Rescue Team officials said.
Members of the Montrose Search and Rescue Team were summoned to access the remote crash site, according to sheriff’s Lt. DeMarkus Smith.
They worked through the night and recovered the body Thursday morning, MSAR team officials said via Twitter.
The driver was believed to have been the only person inside the vehicle, which was transformed into an unrecognizable mass of twisted metal by the force of the crash, officials said. He was intially descirbed only as male pending positive identification and notification of family members by coroner’s officials.
No other cars were believed to have been involved in the crash.
The investigation into the cause and circumstances of the crash is being carried out by deputies from the sheriff’s Crescenta Valley Station.

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST >> Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a person whose body was discovered deep in the Angeles National Forest on Sunday afternoon.
Little information was initially released regarding the investigation, which began just after 12:50 p.m. with the discovery of a body in the forest along mile marker 21.08 of Angeles Forest Highway, just north of Big Tujunga Canyon Road, Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Information Bureau said in a written statement. The body was initially described only as male. No age estimate was available.
The circumstances of the death remained unclear.
Anyone with information can reach the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Comments Policy

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@langnews.com.